Joel's monastery was initially founded in the 1970s in Missoula Montana by Joel and other returned LDS missionaries, like me, Gerald Smith.
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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Book of Mormon Lesson 17: “A Seer … Becometh a Great Benefit to His Fellow Beings” Mosiah 7-11

Book of Mormon Lesson 17: “A Seer … Becometh a Great Benefit to His Fellow Beings” Mosiah 7-11ZeniffMosiah 8-9With
this lesson, we add a new group of people to the Nephite story: the
people of Zeniff. There are many interesting questions that arise,
regarding Zeniff and his people.Zeniff tells us:

“
I, Zeniff, having been taught in all the language of the Nephites, and
having had a knowledge of the land of Nephi, or of the land of our
fathers’ first inheritance, and having been sent as a spy among the
Lamanites that I might spy out their forces, that our army might come
upon them and destroy them—but when I saw that which was good among them
I was desirous that they should not be destroyed” (Mosiah 9:1).

Zeniff
was “taught in all the language of the Nephites.” Was he a Nephite
taught by his fathers in “all the language” or was he a Mulekite that
was absorbed into the Nephites and was taught their language much as
today: modern immigrants often do not learn the whole language, but
their children raised here do.Why
did they travel back to the Land of Nephi? Was there not room
elsewhere in the Nephite nation for them to settle themselves? A few
generations later, Captain Moroni will establish cities in the disputed
wilderness territory between the Nephites and Lamanites. Would it not
have been safer to clear out the few Lamanites in the area, and
establish their settlements? Or was the Land of Nephi considered part
of the wilderness?Why
did King Mosiah I allow an army be sent against the Lamanites in the
first place? Or was this an independent militia group? Did not the
Nephites have a belief in defensive wars, rather than offensive ones?
Their history generally shows this, and if so, then why an offensive
army? Was this considered a legitimate effort to regain and possess anew
the land that originally belonged to Nephi, and therefore, them? If
so, would it be considered an offensive or defensive war? Both or
neither?Zeniff
saw these people as good, so as not to want to destroy them. As a spy,
what did he see among the Lamanites that softened his heart towards
them? If a soldier refuses to follow the orders of the captain, is it
not lawful to slay him for treason or dereliction of duty? In this
instance, Zeniff went on the journey with the understanding they were
going to fight the Lamanites and drive them from the area. What caused
him to change his mind to the point that it led to insurrection? Why
did “fathers rise up against fathers and brothers against brothers” in
order to rescue a traitorous spy? Was refusing to destroy the Lamanites
in that area worth the great battle that killed all but 50 of the
Nephite army? How do the words of a spy cause such a major division in
an entire army?Given
that Zeniff will later find that the Lamanites actually entered into
the treaty with the intent to later enslave the Nephites, was Zeniff
correct in his initial assessment of the Lamanites, or would they have
been better off to drive the Lamanites off instead? Given Zeniff told
us the Lamanites were good and that his commanding officer was a
“bloodthirsty” man, and he will later give the kingdom to his evil son
Noah, just how far should we trust Zeniff’s judgment in the story he
relates to us? It seems that on the three most important issues
relevant to the story, Zeniff may have been wrong on all three
decisions. Zeniff does admit years later when he wrote his account that
he was “over-zealous” and that his people were “slow to remember the
Lord our God” (Mosiah 9:3).

“...they
were a lazy and an idolatrous people; therefore they were desirous to
bring us into bondage, that they might glut themselves with the labors
of our hands; yea, that they might feast themselves upon the flocks of
our fields” (Mosiah 9:12).

Why did Zeniff initially believe there was good among the Lamanites, and now seriously changes his tune regarding them? In
asking these questions, I hope to bring out the concept that our
perceptions concerning the world around us are not always that good.
Also, just because a leader seems to be good, does not mean he’s a good
leader, nor that he has sound judgment. We find that Zeniff made many
choices, several of which turned out to be totally wrong. He thought
himself smarter than his military leader, using subjective and
inflammatory words to belittle him (who knows if they are actually
true?), and to gain power for himself. It may be that Zeniff was a very
poor king, perhaps almost as bad as his son, Noah, but in writing his
own history made himself look good.We
learn here that taking one’s own counsel is not always the good thing.
Also, our perceptions of the world around us may not be the best
understanding of that world. Finally, those who are not close to the
Lord do not receive his guidance and direction in the decisions they
make. The choices Zeniff made in leading a people into a new land are
very different than Lehi’s and Nephi’s humble walk with the Lord.King NoahMosiah 11Noah
is introduced as being evil. The first evil noted is that he has “many
wives and concubines” and causes the people to seek after whoredoms.
When Nephi’s brother Jacob warned the Nephites to not have multiple
wives, it may be that they observed the peoples around them having many
wives, and sought to justify it by David and Solomon’s actions in the
scriptures (Jacob 2). This
suggests that one of Noah’s first and foremost sins was to take the
women and reduce them to sexual slavery.. Such was just the beginning
of excesses, as he not only lusted for women but for fine clothing,
statues and buildings in his honor, drunkenness, and riches.Interestingly,
their actions are described as “laziness”. The Lamanites were also
described as being lazy, and sought to conquer Zeniff’s people in order
to be lazier. In wanting to live in luxury, Noah and his people were
guilty of the sin of being lazy. Taxes were raised to support their
sins and laziness. Government excesses could be explained as making
their land greater by all of the wonderful state buildings built, and
the “freedoms” given to men as to regarding the ignoring of
commandments, responsibilities, etc. As long as the taxes were paid to
handle Noah’s lifestyle, people could be as spiritually and morally lazy
as they wish. Abinadi will soon speak to those excesses.If
we were to look at our own government and how we run our own homes,
perhaps we could see some of the same inclinations. Have our excesses
been justified? Do we now spend trillions of dollars in deficit
spending to support indolence? Have we become a lazy people that want
government reduced, but only as long as it does not reduce our personal
entitlements?A SeerMosiah 7-8King
Limhi’s people went in search of Zarahemla. In their search, they came
to the lands of the Jaredites and found an ancient record. Limhi
wished it to be deciphered. Ammon explained that King Mosiah II was
able to translate the record, because he was a seer.

“Now
Ammon said unto him: I can assuredly tell thee, O king, of a man that
can translate the records; for he has wherewith that he can look, and
translate all records that are of ancient date; and it is a gift from
God. And the things are called interpreters, and no man can look in them
except he be commanded, lest he should look for that he ought not and
he should perish. And whosoever is commanded to look in them, the same
is called seer.
And behold, the king of the people who are in the land of Zarahemla is
the man that is commanded to do these things, and who has this high gift
from God.And the king said that a seer is greater than a prophet.
And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a
gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the
power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him
from God.But
a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are
to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall
secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light,
and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also
things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known.
Thus God has provided a means that man, through faith, might work
mighty miracles; therefore he becometh a great benefit to his fellow
beings” (Mosiah 8:13-18).

When
we combine this description of seers and the Urim and
Thummim/Interpreters with the description in D&C 130, we get a
better understanding of what is going on:

“Then the white stone...will become a Urim and Thummim to each
individual who receives one, whereby things pertaining to a higher order
of kingdoms will be made known;
And a white stone is given to each of those who come into the celestial
kingdom, whereon is a new name written, which no man knoweth save he
that receiveth it. The new name is the key word” (D&C 130:10-11).

The
Urim and Thummim can take a variety of shapes (glasses, white stone,
etc). Its purpose is to reveal “things pertaining to a higher order of
kingdoms”, as well as “know of things which are past, and also of things
which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed”.This
device is accessed by using the new name, which is “the key word”. In
essence, the new name is a password to gain access. The individual who
uses such a device must use caution on what he seeks for, “lest he
should look for that he ought not and he should perish.” To
me, the scripture is describing computer devices that are hooked up to a
spiritual Internet. It requires a key word/password, and we understand
the power for good and evil that the Internet has. A person can use it
to gain much knowledge and wisdom, or can skulk around looking at
pornography and other evil things. Such a person spiritually perishes
by misusing such a powerful tool. Yet,
ask any scholar how great computers and the Internet are for research
and development, and one can see that when man uses them properly, they
“becometh a great benefit to his fellow beings”.The
Book of Mormon, translated in 1829, describes celestial computer and
Internet capability. Given that Charles Babbage’s Difference Engine was
designed in 1822, and it did not have Internet access nor a password, we
can see that God revealed to Joseph some incredible things back at the
time when simple computational machines were just being dreamed of. Three Men, Three WorldsA
key concept here is we can learn from studying the differences between
the men Zeniff, Noah and Mosiah I. Noah was definitely an evil man,
seeking to thrive through being lazy by taking from others. His
excesses are noted, but we do not see the direct impact on the people.
Women were treated as lesser beings. High taxes were hard to bear for
the people. Instead of working with his own hands, as did King
Benjamin, he enriched himself on the backs of others. The only thing
given back was permission to also engage in sin and excess, as women
were treated as whores, rather than as the daughters of God.Zeniff
was not a close follower of God, and his choices and perceptions of the
world around him displayed his serious lack of judgment regarding his
enemies, his people, and even his own son. While not evil, his mediocre
attention to spiritual things seriously affected his ability to protect
and defend his people. He walked into a trap, and brought all his
people with him.King
Mosiah I was a holy man. As his father, he worked the land with his
own hands, to keep from burdening the people. We do not hear of great
taxes being placed on the people. Nor are there huge buildings and
constructions built all over the Nephite lands, as a sign of the
“greatness” of the king and/or government. Instead, Mosiah has been a
prophet-king, leading the people in charity and faith. He is the seer.
Because he has access to God and the higher order of things via the
Interpreters, he is able to greatly bless the people.We
must all decide just what kind of person we wish to be: Celestial,
Terrestrial, or Telestial. Shall we follow God with all our heart, be
lukewarm in our testimonies, or reject God in revel in our laziness?BibliographyUrim and Thummim as ancient computer: http://rameumptom.weebly.com/urim.html

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About Me

Grew up in Missoula, MT. Retired after 20 years in the USAF.
Working as Classification Specialist for Indiana DoC.
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Degrees:
AS in Computers,
BS in Resource Mgmt,
MA in Teaching/History
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Great wife, 3 grown kids, 7 grandkids.